About Momma J

Momma J’s real name is Anna Jacobs. In Polish her name is Andzia; in Hebrew, Chanah; and in America she’s often called Angie or Anna. But her kids and their friends all call her Momma J. She was born November 11, 1924 in a small city named Wloclawek (Vluh slu vik) in Poland. The closest big city was Warsaw.

She was the middle child. Her older sister’s name was Henia and her younger brother was Kalman. Her parents were Roiseh and Ephraim. You can learn more about her in her own words on Momma J’s blog. We’ll  add more background information here, too.

She had a happy childhood, attending a Polish school and a Hebrew school. She was an excellent student. When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, she was not quite 15 years old.

Me, my brother Kalman and our grandmother Esther. Taken around 1931.

My mother’s brother, George moved to London before the war. He wanted a picture of his mother–my grandmother. So she took me, my brother and our cousin to the studio with her. I got a copy of the picture from Uncle George after the war. He was the only person in my family who survived. Or so I thought until 10 years ago when I met some other cousins in Florida. That’s another story.

Roz, me (Momma J) and Laurie answer questions at The Memory Project opening

Find out more about The Memory Project at www.memoryprojectproductions.com. It’s about my beautiful brother Kalman, who I lost during the war. I always thought I’d find him somehow, but he must not have survived.